Soputan

Indonesia

1.112°N, 124.737°E; summit elev. 1785 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)

CVGHM reported that during May, deformation from Soputan was detected. During 1-6 June, seismicity increased. On 6 June, a pyroclastic flow possibly generated by a rockfall avalanche traveled about 1.5 km down the E flank. The Alert Level was raised to 3 (on a scale of 1-4). Residents and tourists were advised not go within a 6 km radius of the summit.

Based on observations of satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that an ash plume rose to an altitude of 13.7 km (45,000 ft) a.s.l. on 6 June and drifted SW.

Geologic Background. The Soputan stratovolcano on the southern rim of the Quaternary Tondano caldera on the northern arm of Sulawesi Island is one of Sulawesi's most active volcanoes. The youthful, largely unvegetated volcano rises to 1784 m and is located SW of Riendengan-Sempu, which some workers have included with Soputan and Manimporok (3.5 km ESE) as a volcanic complex. It was constructed at the southern end of a SSW-NNE trending line of vents. During historical time the locus of eruptions has included both the summit crater and Aeseput, a prominent NE-flank vent that formed in 1906 and was the source of intermittent major lava flows until 1924.